NJ Monthly - March 2017

• The 2017 Five Star Real Estate Agents, Mortgage Professionals and Home/Auto Insurance Professionals do not pay a fee to be included in the research or the final list.

• Each professional is screened against state governing bodies to verify that licenses are current and no disciplinary actions are pending.

• The inclusion of a real estate agent, mortgage professional or insurance professional on the final lists should not be construed as an endorsement by Five Star Professional or New Jersey Monthly.

• The research process incorporates a statistically valid sample in order to identify the professionals in the local market who score highest in overall satisfaction. These professionals are not included on the list unless their score is statistically valid.

For more information on the Five Star award and the research/ selection methodology, go to www.fivestarprofessional.com.

Determination of Award Winners
Professionals who satisfied each of the following
objective criteria were named a 2017 New Jersey Five
Star Real Estate Agent, Five Star Mortgage Professional
or Five Star Home/Auto Insurance Professional:

1. Received a qualifying client satisfaction rating.

2. Satisfied the applicable state licensing requirements.

3. Actively employed as a licensed professional for a minimum of three years.

4. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review.

5. Satisfied minimum client volume or production on a one-year and three-year basis (number and volume of transactions or number of client households served).

How We Identify Award Winners

See Our Special Section
for the Complete List of
Award Winners

Selling a house isn’t easy. In fact, it’s something that many families dread. Chances are that you’ve heard horror stories about houses that sat for years on the market without selling, gradually decreasing in price.

If you’ve been thinking about selling your home and you want to ditch your house as quickly as possible, there are a few ways that you can help your house sell fast. There are some factors you can’t control, like location or noisy neighbors.

Fortunately, there are seven important things you
can do to give your house the best shot at selling.
1. Fix what’s broken

Buyers are always looking for the perfect move-in-ready home, so fixing your home is key. If your house needs a lot of help, focus on the major problems in your home. Need a new roof?

Buy one. A new owner will not want to put a new roof on the house unless you’re offering the home at a serious discount.

Remember that most families want something they can move into right away without spending months working on. If there are problems with the home that you can easily fix, whether it be chipping paint or a broken fence post, try to fix them before you list your house.

2. Update your appliances

It’s important to remember that homebuyers have specific
items they look for in a home. For many buyers great
appliances are number one on their wish list for a home. That’s
where you come in. While you probably can’t afford to update
every one of your home’s appliances, take a hard look at what
your current setup looks like. Is the stove outdated? Is the
fridge about to die? Dropping a few hundred dollars on a new
fridge, dishwasher or oven might not be the way you want to
spend your money, but it could help you sell your house. If
someone sees an old stove sitting in the middle of the kitchen
that looks like it’s about to break, they may wonder what else
is going to break if they buy the house.

3. Take breathtaking pictures

You probably know that you need to take pictures of your house. Pictures are one of the most important ways that you can draw in potential buyers. If someone is looking for a new home, they’ll typically take a look at real estate websites before setting up showings or attending open houses. Because so many shoppers look online before they decide to explore a house in person, it’s important that your pictures look great.

Consider hiring a professional photographer to really showcase your home. Make sure that you take pictures of both the home’s interior and exterior. If you have a large yard, try to showcase that. If you just planted roses, take a few pictures. If your master bathroom is enormous, take a picture. Highlight the best areas of your home and skip the ones that are less attractive to buyers.

4. Ditch your clutter

Clearing out junk is easier said than done, but if you want to sell your house quickly, you need to ditch your clutter. Get rid of extra papers, magazines or memorabilia that is sitting around your house. Clean out beneath your beds. Get rid of that pile of clothes next to your dresser. When people walk through your house, they want to imagine what it will be like to live in the home. Even if you can’t get rid of all of your home’s clutter, try to at least minimize the amount of things you have on shelves and on counters to present a clean, neat appearance to buyers.

5. Advertise, advertise, advertise

Your agent will be the first to tell you: you need to focus on advertising. Remember that buyers probably won’t drive by your house and see the “For Sale” sign in your yard. Rather, they’ll find your house online, in a newspaper or on a brochure.

List your house on as many real estate websites as possible, share it on Facebook and try to promote it as much as possible for the best results.

6. Price fairly

You’ve spent years developing memories in your house, so it’s normal to want to attach a price tag to those. Unfortunately, the reality is that you can’t afford to ask too much for your house. Remember that buyers are looking for a good deal. They want to know that they’re getting their money’s worth when they buy a house. Take a look at what other houses are selling for in your area and price your home accordingly. If you aren’t sure how much to ask for your house, don’t be afraid to contact a real estate agent to ask for help.

7. Don’t be choosy

One mistake that many sellers make is to turn down offers because they don’t like the family. Even if you don’t like the person that offers to buy your house, realize that you don’t have any control over what happens to your home once you sell it. If the buyer wants to tear down walls, paint everything green or add a bunch of garden gnomes to the yard, that’s their decision. For a quick sell, don’t be choosy about your offers.